As a company, your goal is to do everything in your power to make sure you are producing successfully year in and year out. No matter what service your company is providing, the ultimate goal is positive growth and profit. I mean why else would you own a business then? It’s important to be organized, meticulous, and conscientious when developing a business plan of action. This way you are proactively aware of all your investments.

One of the largests investments a company will make will be for their employees. They are the fuel that feeds the fire to move you towards success. Without them, it’s quite difficult to run an empire on your own. Every company wants to attract the best talent so they can utilize their skills to help them achieve the best product. So naturally, it makes sense that companies should make sure they are actively investing in their employees in order to nurture that environment of growth.

Unfortunately, in business days pasts, that was one thing that companies were lacking. Mainly for the fact of cutting costs to be as profitable as possible. Unwilling to spend more money than they had to incase that employee decided they wanted to move on from the company. When you don’t invest in your employees, high turnover rates are a reality. In the long run; resulting in pulling more money out of the company wallet than it would have been to invest in the employees they already had.

The saying rings true, people don’t quit their jobs they quit their bosses. Employees leave when they don’t feel like their needs are being met or they are feeling undervalued for their efforts. Research shows that 75% of the causes for employee turnover are preventable (HR Dive) Therefore it’s vital to nurture and challenge your employees; motivate and encourage them to grow throughout their time with your company. Give them something to work for that stimulates their creativity and mind. A great way to do so is via a thought out plan that focuses on their professional development.

Never Stop Learning

Professional development is a key component in adding value to any company. When you invest in your employees, the experience and skills they acquire will translate over into a deeper knowledge base for the company. Professional development plans are perfect to stimulate positive growth, increase talent retention rates and drive employee morale up. Not only will these plans help retain your best employees, it will also attract other potential top talent to your company. Generating a desirable and attractive company brand that job seekers look out for.

It’s important when going forth with professional development plans, that they are designed and calibrated to the individual. Provide options that way your employees can choose the course of action that will better fit their needs and overall goals.

Whether it be through workshops, mentoring, college courses or even on-the-job training in another position; all of these can nourish their professional growth. The continuation of learning and development in the professional field assists in building and maintaining a competent workforce; keeping in tune with the ever changing demands of the world. It’s our job as employers to foster and nurture a work environment that positively encourages employees to be more productive, loyal and are overall happier in their position and growth within their professional careers.

Getting Started

First sit down with the employee and have an honest conversation. Completing a self-assessment to help you determine in which route they can be directed for optimal growth. Identify their current skills, knowledge base and where they might have any experience gaps.

Determine what the growth goal in mind is (ex. leading the team on a project).

From there you can get a insight on what practical steps can be taken (mentoring, workshops etc.) for the employee and determine a deadline.

It’s vital to stay consistent with the plan and reflect along the way. At the end of a particular course, be sure to evaluate and reassess.

These are some steps that can be taken in order to establish the initiative towards learning. Professional development is not solely left to the efforts of just the employer though. This requires the cooperation of both parties. Meaning it’s not only up to the employer to pay for the costs of learning in entirety nor does it have to be learning that costs you an arm and a leg. Funding for these learning opportunities tends to be a primary concern for most employers, but that shouldn’t drive you away from it. Ways to keep costs in mind can be possible by providing group events, or as simple as allocating time for employees so they may go back to school. There are plenty of possibilities that provide flexibility. It’s important to keep your mind open to a variety of professional development methods and choose ones that also correspond with your ability as an employer to implement.

Examples of Professional Growth Opportunities

Training / Certification Courses

Webinars / Seminars

Mentoring

Tuition Matching

Cross-training

Promotion / Transfer Opportunities

Special Projects / Assignments

Professional Networking

Increasing Responsibilities

Happy employees mean a happy and growing business. You want your employees to be excited about their job! When they are happy, desire and motivation is there! Employers that take care of their employees will always have workers that take care of their business in return. Your employees are investing their time into your dreams, it’s good business to invest in theirs.

As a team, we aim to bring insights, passion and innovation to the recruiting process, offering an exceptional experience for our clients and candidates. When you work with Alltech, we’re with you every step of the way.

Contact us today!Let us help you with all of your IT staffing and consulting needs!